Ear reddening game
Encyclopedia
The ear reddening game is a game
of go
of the Edo period
of Japan
, played on September 11, 1846 between Honinbo Shusaku
(black) and Inoue Genan Inseki (white). The game is probably Shusaku's most notable game as it contains the "ear reddening move"- so named when a doctor who had been watching the game took note of Genan as his ears flushed red when Shusaku played the move, indicating he had become upset.
Shusaku met Genan Inseki in July 1846 when he returned to Edo
after staying in Onomichi
for eighteen months. Shusaku was 17 years old and a 4-dan
player at the time, while Genan was nearing his fifties and was ranked at 8-dan. The first game they played, Genan allowed Shusaku to play with a two stone handicap. Realizing he had no chance of winning, Genan suspended the game without finishing it, and played another one with Shusaku simply playing black without handicap.
Shusaku made a mistake early on in the taisha joseki
, but would play well throughout the rest of the game to win by 2 points.
The move gave influence
to all four directions. While expanding the top, it also brings some help to the four black stones on the bottom (m4, m5, m6, and k6), reduces the white thickness on the right side, and also aims at erasing or invading the left side.
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
of go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
of the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, played on September 11, 1846 between Honinbo Shusaku
Honinbo Shusaku
Honinbo Shusaku was a professional Go player and is considered by many to be the greatest player of the golden age of Go in the mid-19th century.- Biography :He was nicknamed "Invincible" after he earned a perfect score for 19 straight wins in the annual castle...
(black) and Inoue Genan Inseki (white). The game is probably Shusaku's most notable game as it contains the "ear reddening move"- so named when a doctor who had been watching the game took note of Genan as his ears flushed red when Shusaku played the move, indicating he had become upset.
Shusaku met Genan Inseki in July 1846 when he returned to Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
after staying in Onomichi
Onomichi, Hiroshima
is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, facing the Inland Sea.As of January 1, 2008, the city has an estimated population of 148,085 and a population density of 520 persons per km². The total area is 284.85 km²...
for eighteen months. Shusaku was 17 years old and a 4-dan
Go ranks and ratings
Skill in the traditional board game Go is measured by a number of different national, regional and online ranking and rating systems. Traditionally, go rankings have been measured using a system of dan and kyu ranks...
player at the time, while Genan was nearing his fifties and was ranked at 8-dan. The first game they played, Genan allowed Shusaku to play with a two stone handicap. Realizing he had no chance of winning, Genan suspended the game without finishing it, and played another one with Shusaku simply playing black without handicap.
Shusaku made a mistake early on in the taisha joseki
Taisha joseki
The taisha joseki is the Japanese term for the most celebrated of all joseki in the game of go. It is often described in go literature as having a thousand variations ; this is more than a figure of speech, since many hundreds of subvariations have been documented, in high-level games, books and...
, but would play well throughout the rest of the game to win by 2 points.
Taisha joseki
The first time this joseki was documented was 24 years earlier, in 1822, and at this time go sequences which were developed were held as trade secrets. Play progressed into the taisha five-way junction, with the next two moves as shown.| style="border: solid thin; padding: 2px;" | |
| Taisha joseki |
Ear reddening move
| style="border: solid thin; padding: 2px;" | |
| The ear reddening move |
The move gave influence
Go terms
Players of the game of Go often use jargon to describe situations on the board and surrounding the game. Such technical terms are likely to be encountered in books and articles about Go in English as well as other languages. Many of these terms have been borrowed from Japanese, mostly when no short...
to all four directions. While expanding the top, it also brings some help to the four black stones on the bottom (m4, m5, m6, and k6), reduces the white thickness on the right side, and also aims at erasing or invading the left side.